Puyallup woman set on fire

Updated 8:02 am, Tuesday, May 6, 2014

A mobile home was destroyed by flames late Monday, just hours after a man doused his girlfriend with a flammable liquid and set her on fire inside the home, deputies say.

The bizarre chain of events began about 8 p.m. Monday when a woman called 911 to say she was on fire, according to Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.

Police and firefighters rushed to the Hidden Glen Mobile Home Park in the 7600 block of 159th Street East and found a mobile home on fire. The flames were extinguished and the woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center, but her condition is not known.

Officials say it appears the woman's boyfriend came to the home, poured gas all over his girlfriend and the home, started a fire, locked the doors - and left.

Neighbors saw the smoke and ran to the woman's rescue.

"She tried to escape, but she couldn't, so the neighbor tried to break the window open with a bat and she got out from there, and she came into flames," says witness Eric Chavez.

Another neighbor says, "I went to get my hose and tried to get the fire out for her, and it was like crazy because I didn't know what to do. I guess we saved her life today."

But the drama still was not over.

About three hours later, smoldering embers from the original fire sparked back to life, and the mobile home burst into flames once more.

Firefighters again raced to the scene, but this time they were unable to save the home. It burned to the ground.

The boyfriend was later captured and taken into custody, and is being treated for burns.